The report, produced by Dr. Bill Latham and Dr. Ken Lewis of the Center for Applied Business & Economic Research at the University of Delaware, provides an in-depth view of beer distributors’ economic contributions by taking into account how beer distributor activities are intertwined with many parts of the economy, especially the personal services sector. The report also accounts for the amount of resources contributed by beer distributors in supporting community events and local economic development, contributing to charitable causes and promoting responsible alcohol use and adds the impacts of these activities to the usual impacts of distributor operations.

“The beer distribution sector is a hidden gem that has been tremendously undervalued in previous economic reports,” said Dr. Latham. “Fueling more than 345,000 direct and indirect jobs, beer distributors add $54 billion to the nation’s gross domestic product and offer far reaching benefits to brewers, retailers, consumers and government agencies at all levels.”

§ Beer distributor activities contribute nearly $10.3 billion to the federal, state and local tax bases. This does not include the nearly $11 billion in federal, state and local alcohol excise and consumption taxes.

§ The beer distribution industry contributes more than $22 billion in transportation efficiencies for the beer industry each year.

§ Beer distributor contributions to local community activities generate $175 million in impacts annually.

“Distributors deliver economic benefits in their communities through local business-to-business commerce, investments in local infrastructure and capital assets and tax revenue. They provide services that improve efficiency for trading partners, especially small brewers and retailers, and they ensure fair prices and a broad selection of products for consumers to enjoy. This new economic impact report offers a thorough look at many of these previously unreported economic benefits.”

To view the full report, including state by state data, please visit www.nbwa.org. Click here to view data on the economic impact of beer distributors on the United States as a whole.